


Watch The Sky

by mrhd



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-30
Updated: 2016-05-30
Packaged: 2018-07-11 01:27:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7019881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mrhd/pseuds/mrhd
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For his birthday, Rhodey gives Tony the sky.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Watch The Sky

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this because apparently today (5/29) is MCU Tony's birthday and he deserves to have nice birthdays.

“Hey, what do you want for your birthday?”

At first Tony doesn’t quite realize that he’s been asked a question, intent on the text in front of him. “Hmm?” he replies.

“ _Tony_ ,” Rhodey says, and Tony looks up.

“What? Do you want me to get off your bed?”

Rhodey rolls his eyes. “You weren’t listening at all, were you?”

Tony bites his lip. “I’m sorry?” he offers.

“I asked what you wanted for your birthday.”

“My birthday?”

“Yeah, it’s next week isn’t it? What do you want?”

He asks the question so casually that Tony can’t help but pick at it. Distantly Tony had been aware that his birthday was coming up, but he hadn’t really thought about it. Usually he’s invited to some kind of party and someone buys him a drink or two, and he smiles and shakes a lot of hands and his dad sends him a card. His mom will call him, and offer to visit, and Tony will turn her down, and the world will continue on as it always does. But he’s not sure that anyone has actually asked him about it, not since Jarvis, and not since he was little.

“You know I’m, like, a billionaire, right?” he says eventually. “If I want something I usually just get it.”

“Sure, but that’s not the point,” Rhodey insists. “I know you know that; you got me something for my birthday.”

For Rhodey’s birthday Tony had considered buying a model airplane kit, since Rhodey likes building those, but he’d ended up just _making_ one. Because he could, and also because he could make one that flew. It’s sitting on Rhodey’s desk right now, on its stand looking over the books and papers Rhodey’s working with.

“You don’t have to get me anything,” Tony says, looking back down at his textbook. He’s suddenly mildly embarrassed, and not sure why.

“Tony, I _want_ to.”

Tony doesn’t say anything, just tries not to fidget and then Rhodey is in his space, pushing him over on the bed to lay down beside him.

“I thought we were studying,” Tony says.

“My brain is too full. It hurts,” Rhodey complains. “And you’re hogging my bed.”

“I could leave.”

“Or you could stay and be my space heater.”

With that Rhodey presses his side against Tony’s crossed legs and pillows his head on one arm and rests the other on Tony’s thigh, just high enough that it’s not on Tony’s textbook.

“I knew you didn’t like me just for my sparkling personality,” Tony teases.

Rhodey flicks Tony’s knee so Tony flicks Rhodey’s forehead in return and then leaves his hand there, resting on Rhodey’s head as Rhodey dozes and Tony reads.

* * *

 He hasn’t brought it up since that first time in Tony’s bedroom, but Jim _has_ been thinking about what to get Tony for his birthday ever since.

The problem is; Tony kind of has a point. Anything Tony sees that he wants, he buys on the spot. And Tony is a _genius_ ; anything he wants that he can’t find he can make. And Jim may not be a slouch by any means, but probably no one in the world can match Tony’s level of flashfire brilliance, so he can’t exactly _make_ something for Tony.

He tries to think of something that Tony wouldn’t get for himself. It should be easy, he thinks, given that, for all his extravagance and wealth Tony doesn’t actually pamper himself that much. And he’s almost ridiculously easy to please. All Jim has to do to get wide, warm smiles is kiss Tony softly, get in his personal space, play with his hair. Hell, he gets those smiles any time he turns up expectedly at Tony’s room. But as much as he jokes about his presence being a present, it’s not enough, at least not for Tony’s birthday.

The answer comes to him one day when Tony has his head in Jim’s lap in the courtyard, staring up at the sky. They’re hidden from others’ eyes by a tree, the shade is cool and comfortable despite the warm weather.

“What is it like?” Tony asks.

“What’s what like?” Jim asks absentmindedly. _He_ is busy studying for finals as Tony stares at clouds.

“Flying,” Tony says, spreading his arms out to the sides like a kid playing airplane.

Jim closes his book to think about it, leaning back against the tree. “Freeing,” he says eventually. “It’s just me and the plane and the sky, you know?”

Tony _hmm_ s.

“And _fun_. It’ll be different in combat I know,” he muses, “but now? It’s peaceful and exciting all at once.” He looks at Tony then, staring at the sky with his arms spread, and it comes to him. He knows what to get for Tony’s birthday.  


* * *

  
On Tony’s birthday Jim blindfolds Tony after he comes home and says, “Happy Birthday.”

Tony grins. “Is kinky blindfold sex my present?”

Well, Jim’s body definitely likes _that_ idea. “Maybe later,” he says, kissing the side of Tony’s neck.

Tony’s grin grows into a smirk.

“But for now your present is a surprise.”

“Okay,” Tony agrees easily.

Jim takes his hand and tugs gently, letting Tony know that he’ll lead him around.

“Where are we going?” Tony asks, stepping closer.

“That’s the surprise, Tones,” Jim points out.

He leads Tony to his car, keeping him blindfolded for the ride. He usually walks to the airfield, but he figures it would be weird to lead Tony around campus in a blindfold. Maybe not weird by their usually standards, but people would stare.

“So we’re going far,” Tony says as Jim starts driving.

“You’re not gonna figure it out,” Jim says. “Don’t trying to guess.”

“I’m a genius,” Tony says. “I can figure anything out.”

“You keep telling yourself that.”

Tony sticks his tongue out.

Jim ignores him.

Tony spends the rest of the short ride throwing out guesses, none of them even close. Jim doesn’t say anything, doesn’t give him any hints, which he knows frustrates Tony to no end.

They’re not going far though, and he’s able to park and lead Tony out of the car before either of them can get too annoyed with each other.

“Where are you taking me?” Tony asks again, his voice light, and his lips quirking.

Jim rolls his eyes even though Tony can’t see the motion through the blindfold. “Are we there yet?” he teases, imitating Tony’s voice horribly.

“Well _are_ we?”

Jim is tempted to say no and drag Tony around in circles for a while just to tease him but he doesn’t. He does, drag Tony a few extra steps though before saying, “Yeah, actually we are.”

He takes the blindfold off Tony and then steps back, letting Tony look around.

“This is the airfield,” Tony says eventually.

“Ah, you really are a genius.”

“Fuck you,” Tony says good-naturedly. “Why did you bring me to an airfield?”

Jim gestures behind him at an airplane. “Remember the other day? You asked what it was like fly? I’m gonna show you.”

Tony’s face lights up.  


* * *

  
Tony is buzzing with excitement as Rhodey puts a helmet on his head and straps him into the plane correctly. He’s going to fly! He can’t help feeling like a kid about it, and he feels a few flickers of embarrassment, but not enough to dampen his excitement. He knows Rhodey can tell, but he’s nice enough not say anything about it.

Tony watches, paying rapt attention as Rhodey prepares the jet for flight. He learns fast, he remembers things, and he wants to learn this. He wants to learn how to fly.

“Ready?” Rhodey asks as the jet starts to rumble.

“Born ready, sweet pea,” Tony says.

“If you say so,” Rhodey says.

Then Tony lurches back into the back of the seat and Rhodey moves the jet. He leans further back into it as Rhodey takes up and they climb into the sky.

“Born ready, right?” Rhodey says.

“Yeah,” Tony says, “what-”

But before he can finish the question he’s upside down, his internal organs jumping into his throat as Rhodey rolls them. He can’t help making a noise, a noise that is definitely not a choked off scream that sounds like a squeak.

Even as Rhodey evens them out Tony can’t help tightening his hands on the arm rests in a death grip, despite Rhodey’s laughter coming through the headset.

“Can’t handle the g’s, Tones?” he says, still laughing.

“Shut up,” Tony shoots back. “You coulda warned me.”

“But then I wouldn’t know what you sound like when you scream like a girl in a horror film.”

“I’ll scream for you anytime you want, honeybunch,” Tony says. He’s smirking even though Rhodey can’t actually look at him right then, but he’s sure Rhodey knows anyways. Just like Tony knows that Rhodey is rolling his eyes behind his visor.

“I’m gonna do a dive,” Rhodey tells Tony, ignoring the innuendo. “Watch the sky.”

And then the plane dives towards the earth and Tony’s stomach lurches once more with the g-force. He gasps but keeps his eyes open wide this time, watching the sky like Rhodey’d said to.

And it’s amazing. The color is different up so high, a blue Tony can’t quite describe, as clouds flash by; both far away white clumps and closer ones that leave droplets of water on the window. Then Rhodey pulls up sharply, and Tony gets to watch the roll of images reverse; blues and droplets and shapes coming to meet them. He laughs, a sound of pure happiness, even before Rhodey levels the jet out again.

“Dude, this is fucking awesome,” Tony tells him, unable to stop grinning.

“I know,” Rhodey says, he sounds proud of himself, but also soft and affectionate.

“Will you teach me one day?” Tony asks, looking back out the window again, watching the sky roll past.

“Sure,” Rhodey agrees easily. “I’ll teach you to fly.”

Tony wants to kiss him then, but he can’t with the helmets on, so he saves it when they land.

And then he jolted out of any nice, warm, kissing thoughts by another roll.

“Sonofa _bitch_!”

**Author's Note:**

> I have flown a plance once in my life and it was for about five minutes in a straight line at a "become a pilot" event and there was a professional pilot in the plane with me who had controls that could override mine. I do not know if this is an accurate portrayal of flying planes.
> 
> Can Rhodey randomly take an ROTC plane and fly it? Probably not. Can he take civilians up in it? Also probably not.
> 
> But it's birthday fluff so I'm considering lack of accuracy fine.


End file.
